What’s in Vista SP2 Beta for you?

Windows Vista SP2 is supposed to be the second third coming of Vista.  It is allegedly going to fix everything that is wrong with Vista and Vista SP1.  Windows 7 can still be hailed as Vista SP3 though it does add a few more features.

Vista SP2 isn’t all bad and a whole lot can’t be expected from a beta version.  It’s certainly not the wow that XP SP2 was.  It does add a few features but won’t exactly knock your socks off.

It will bring native Blu-Ray support, Bluetooth 2.1 and easier network setup (very similar to Windows XP).  Expect better battery life as well if only for a few minutes longer.

VNU reports that Microsoft plans to launch the final version of SP2 in the second half of 2009.  Hopefully the company can plan to get the service pack out before Windows 7 or else it will be a moot point.

In fact, maybe just skip the whole Vista Service Pack “anything” and wait for Windows 7, I hear it’s supposed to be great.  But, didn’t they say the same thing about Vista?

I suppose there is always Mac and Snow Leopard (whenever it comes out).  For those desperate to avoid Vista it is still possible to get XP but you’ll pay a “fine” for that.  Dell is charging $150 for the downgrade rights to XP.

There are a few nagging issues with the beta version of Service Pack 2 and to be honest there is no difference in performance whether you install it or not.  I don’t really consider the extra 10 percent of battery life to be a consideration.

Blu-ray supported is almost negated by the fact that most drives include the necessary software.  Bluetooth 2.1 is nice but no one really cares.

• Windows Vista service pack 2 beta available December 4
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• How to get old(er) Bluetooth devices working in Vista